


Emperor & Fortune Social Link

by Reecie



Category: Persona 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6254353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reecie/pseuds/Reecie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the other characters had social links with each other, instead of just Yu? This is the social link of Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rank 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is cannon to my other Social Rank stories

The final bell rang through the halls of Yasogami High School, and Kanji wasted no time packing up his things and rushing out the door. He didn't even say goodbye to Rise as he left. His mother needed him home to watch the shop while she ran some sort of errand. A promise to make his favorite dinner was more than enough to convince him to agree to it. As he rounded the corner to the school shoe lockers, Kanji noticed that Naoto was already there, digging something out of hers.

Naoto hadn't noticed him yet; she was focused on whatever she was looking for. As she pulled a large book out, a pencil fell to the ground and rolled behind her. Kanji walked over and stopped the runaway with his foot. Naoto turned as he reached down to pick it up.

"Here," Kanji said, handing the pencil back.

"Oh, hello Kanji," Naoto said, taking the pencil from him. "Thank you." She tried to put the pencil into her the bag, only to drop the book and a few papers that she had in her other hand. She let out a sigh, sounding frustrated.

"Hey, you ok today?" Kanji asked, kneeling down to help her pick up her things.

"Yes, I'm fine." Naoto replied. "I'm just a bit…flustered, I guess."

"Well, that makes sense, with everything that happened to ya." Kanji told her. "I was pretty out of it, too, when it all happened to me."

"It's not just that, but…yes, I do believe you're right." Naoto shoved all of her papers into her bag, thanking Kanji for his help, and started to walk away.

"Naoto, wait a sec!" Kanji called after her. "Do…do you need any help home? I mean, would you like any company?" Something in the back of his mind reminded him of his mother's request, but he ignored it. If Naoto needed his help, he was going to help her.

"As kind as that request is, it won't be necessary." Naoto replied. "I'm not even going home. I have some business in the shopping district first."

"Oh, that's perfect then! I'm watching the shop for my ma, so that's where I'm heading too."

"Oh," Naoto said, considering. "OK, since we're both going to the same place, I guess some company would be enjoyable." Kanji felt a flood of warmth rush to his face as he smiled. He regretted his suggestion almost immediately and it took almost all of his willpower to not run away like he always did. But Kanji had promised his senpai that he would work to better himself and this was step one. He managed to make it out the door without much trouble, in spite of all of the stares he could feel as they passed. While most of their classmates should have noticed Naoto and Kanji hanging out with their normal group by now, that wouldn't stop the gossips.

Kanji and Naoto walked off of school grounds in relative silence. It wasn't until they were a few blocks away that Naoto spoke.

"I don't believe I've said thank you to you for saving me in the TV yet."

"Oh, well, it wasn't just me, ya know?" Kanji replied.

"I know that," Naoto said. "But I know you carried me out of there when the building collapsed. I think that is worthy of a thank you."

"Y-you're welcome," Kanji said, scratching at his head. "But, of course I couldn't just leave you there." They fell back into walking in awkward silence.

"Hey Naoto?"

"Yes Kanji?"

"Did you mean what you said in the TV?" Naoto looked up at Kanji, confused. "Y-your shadow, I mean. About how I'm a 'muscle-bound buffoon' and a 'hot-head'? And how you loathe them?" Naoto was quiet for a few long moments, making Kanji more than a little nervous.

"I suppose she did say that." Naoto finally replied. "And, therefore, I guess I do feel that way, on some level." Kanji felt a pain in his chest at her words, but he half expected them. "But I'm not so sure she was right about you."

"Wha—" Kanji was taken aback by her statement, but he was nevertheless happy to hear it.

"I really don't know much about you yet, do I?" Naoto continued. "And, while I am a detective, I try not to label people right off the bat without learning more about them first. Especially those that I plan on calling my friend."

"Your…friend?"

"Yes, my friend." Naoto said. "Didn't you say that you have trouble making friends, just like myself? And yet you seem to have a sizable group of friends right now. So I thought that becoming friends with you would be a step in the right direction for me. I might even be able to learn something from you." Kanji couldn't help but smile. To think that someone as smart as Naoto wanted to learn something from him. The two spent the rest of their walk idly talking about the case and the new group of friends they found themselves a part of.

Kanji and Naoto feel a faint bond forming between them…


	2. Rank 2

The sun shone brightly on Inaba's shopping district early one afternoon. Naoto walked quietly up to a small shop on the north side of the district. The sign that hung on the building read "Tatsumi Textiles". Once inside, Naoto was greeted by a kindly old woman whom she had already met a handful of times before.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Tatsumi." Naoto said, giving a small bow. "I'm not sure if you remember me. My name is Naoto Shirogane."

"Of course I remember you, Naoto," Mrs. Tatsumi told her, smiling. "Kanji mentioned you were coming over to do some schoolwork. He's back in the living room. Just go ahead through that door and down the hall. You should see him there."

Naoto thanked her and followed the directions she was given into the quaint little living room. There was a low table in the middle of the room, surrounded by cushions to sit on, and a small TV off to the side. And sitting on one of those cushions at the table was Kanji.

He was wearing a brightly colored shirt, which was a striking contrast to the black clothing he usually sported at school. Scattered all around him were colorful balls of yarn, needles and hooks of all sizes, and a few small knitted animals, as well as pieces of unfinished ones. Kanji had one of those animals in his hand and he was carefully stitching it together with one of the needles. He also had a second needle in his mouth, just in case he needed it.

Naoto was careful not to startle him; she didn't want to cause him to stab himself. She had heard a little bit about each member of their group, but seeing Kanji knit was still an odd sight. He could easily be called a powerhouse in the TV world, so seeing him delicately piece together these little animals…Well, Naoto never truly believed it until now, seeing it with her own eyes.

After about a minute, Kanji noticed she was there. In spite of all the help he had from his senpai and even his own personal growth, there was still something embarrassing about someone catching him doing one of his hobbies and he couldn't help but blush. He put down the animal he was working on, took the needle out of his mouth, and stood up quickly, almost knocking the table over in the process.

"H-hey Naoto! I-I didn't hear you come in!" Kanji stammered, clearly surprised. "I completely lost track of time! Let me just clean up a bit and – Ow!" He started to hastily sweep up all of the items on the table and managed to stab one of the needles into the palm of his hand.

"Shit, that stings!" Kanji cursed, pulling the needle from his palm and wincing.

"Here, let me help," Naoto offered, picking the yarn up from the floor. "Is your hand going to be OK?"

"Yeah, it's fine," he replied. "When you do this sort of thing as much as I do, you get use to stabbing yourself with things."

"Of course, that makes sense." Naoto said. She picked up one of the animals. It was a little dog wearing a small green hat and jacket. It was…very elaborate. "These are very cute, Kanji."

"Oh, um, t-thanks,"Kanji said, turning three shades redder than he already was. "D-do you want one? T-these are for the shop, but…"

"Oh, I'll gladly purchase one." Naoto cut in.

"N-no that's not…I-I mean I'd happily…" Kamji tried to find the words 'I'd be happy to make you one', but they wouldn't come to his tongue. He silently cursed himself and gave up.

"I wish I was this skilled at something." Naoto said.

"What're ya talking about?" Kanji replied. "You're a damn good detective, that's something, ain't it? Much more useful than knitting some dumb dolls."

"Yes, I suppose so. But, still, sometimes I wonder…" Naoto's voice trailed off. She plunged deep into thought with a sad look on her face.

"Would you like me to teach you?" Kanji asked, snapping her out of it.

"Teach…me?" Kanji swallowed hard, trying to calm all of the nervousness that had swelled up inside of him from bringing it up.

"Yeah, teach you." he continued. "It's not too hard once you get the hang of it. The supplies can be kinda pricey, but I have a some extra items. Enough to get you started, anyway."

"Maybe," Naoto replied after a moment. "I'll think about it. But, for now, we really should get to that schoolwork."

"Oh, right!" Kanji said. They finished cleaning up the mess and went right to work.

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	3. Rank 3

Kanji walked out of the elevator into Junes' lobby, a bag full of groceries and other items in his hand. His mother needed some items for dinner and he couldn't help but browse the craft supply department while he was there. He stopped just inside the doors, dug through the bag, and pulled out the Topsicle he had bought as a snack. He began to eat it as Naoto walked through the front doors and saw him standing there.

"Hello Kanji." Naoto said as she approached him. Kanji quickly took a large bite out of the Topsicle to greet her, instead of just simply removing it from his mouth.

"Havo Maobo!" Kanji replied, his mouth full of Topsicle. Naoto smiled at his carelessness. Embarrassed, Kanji swallowed and a sharp pain rushed to his head.

"Ah! Shitshitshit!" Kanji cursed, rubbing his forehead. Naoto couldn't help herself and she started to laugh at him. As his brain freeze began to subside, Kanji started to laugh as well.

"So, what are you doing here?" Kanji asked, once they had both calmed down.

"My grandfather needed me to pick up a few things." Naoto replied, showing him a short list.

"Oh, I'll join you, then. If that's ok…"

"Aren't you done with your shopping?" Naoto asked, looking down on his bag of groceries.

"Oh…um…y-yeah, sorta…" Kanji replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"You can still come with me, if you want. Shopping is usually more enjoyable with friends." Naoto told him.

"T-that's exactly what I was thinking!" Kanji said. They started walking towards the elevators.

"Hey! You! Wait!" Someone was calling to them from behind. They turned to see a cop running towards them. Kanji felt some anger swell up almost immediately. He was really getting sick of cops pestering him all of the time. But he remembered what he learned from the incident with the young boy and his friend's doll, and he calmed himself. Naoto looked up at him as he took a step forward and put himself between her and the officer. Kanji didn't even think about how Naoto's connection to the police could easily get him out of whatever trouble the cop thinks he's in. If he was truly going to be a man, he was going to have to start handling things himself.

"Good afternoon," the cop said when he was near enough.

"H-hello, officer." Kanji replied, doing his best to be polite and calm.

"I have a quick question for you. Have you seen anyone that looked like this recently? There's been a rash of shoplifting going on at Junes…" The cop gave them a quick description of the possible thief. Neither of them had seen such a person and they told the cop so. "OK, thank you for your time. If you do see someone like that, please let us or a Junes employee know." The cop tipped his hat to them and walked over to speak to someone else in the lobby. Kanji stood in shock for a moment. That cop hadn't accused him of anything. He didn't even give him a second look after they answered his question. Kanji cracked a small smile.

"Huh, guess he was right…" he said, under his breath.

"Who was right about what?" Naoto asked.

"Yu-senpai," Kanji replied. "He taught me that being myself was better than being defensive. A lot more people will be willing to accept me than put me down. I guess he was right. A year ago, I would've probably given that cop an attitude and he would've started to suspect me, instead of just walking away like that."

"They do say that the best way to be accepted by others is by first accepting yourself." Naoto told him. "I'm still working on that last part."

"You'll get there." Kanji said. "If I can do it, anyone can. I'm still not completely there myself. We can work on it together."

"Thank you for the encouragement." Naoto said. "You know, Kanji, I've never noticed how much we have in common before…" This sparked a conversation between the two of them as they went into the elevator to complete Naoto's shopping,

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	4. Rank 4

Kanji and Naoto found themselves alone on the roof of the school for lunch one afternoon. Naoto had asked Kanji to come, which surprised him. She had never asked him before, but as nervous as he was, he was happy she had asked. They ate and talked about random things, from homework to the murder case. Naoto had a cup of instant noodles, while Kanji had an omelet boxed lunch.

"Did your mother make that for you?" Naoto asked.

"N-no, I-I made it." Kanji replied, blushing. "M-my ma suggested that I try it, so I did. It's OK, I guess..."

"May I try some?"

"O-oh! S-sure..." Naoto reached over and grabbed some. She put it in her mouth and immediately made a face. "What?"

"I am so sorry, but this is awful!" Naoto replied, swallowing and washing it down with her drink.

"Hey! It's not that bad!" Kanji said, clearly offended.

"You are good at a lot of things, Kanji, but, unfortunately, this is not one of them." Naoto said, laughing. "I commend you for trying, though. I don't think I could do much better." Kanji pouted for a minute, but Naoto's cheerful laughter pulled him out of it real quick.

"I wouldn't mind trying your cooking someday." Kanji said before he knew what he was implying. His stomach quickly filled with butterflies as he waited for her response.

"O-oh," Naoto said, her face turning bright red. She starred down a the cup in her lap. "M-maybe...u-um..." The air around them got awkward for a few moments.

"S-so, the reason I asked you up here," Naoto said, changing the subject. "is because I wanted to ask you about your shadow."

"M-my shadow?" Kanji said, nervous. He hadn't told Rise or Naoto about his shadow yet; they were the only two in the group who weren't there to see him in person. He wasn't completely sure he wanted to tell them, not even Naoto. Especially not Naoto.

"Yes. It's not really fair that everyone saw my shadow and yet I know nothing about anyone else's." Naoto explained.

"W-well, I really don't wanna..."

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I have...other ways of finding out."

"O-other ways?"

"Yes. I'll just ask Yosuke-senpai."

"Y-Yosuke-senpai!?" Naoto was ruthless when she wanted information, just like a good detective should be. Yosuke-senpai was still giving Kanji shit about his shadow. Kanji knew he would spill the beans for sure.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Kanji conceded. "Yosuke-senpai would probably just lie and make it worse..." Kanji opened up and told her the story from the very beginning, starting with the others following him around after their meeting. Naoto made a few comments here and there, but she mostly just listened to him talk. Kanji was grateful for her silence. Once he had finished, she stayed silent for a few moments more. Kanji couldn't tell what her reaction was going to be; he couldn't read her at all.

"Thank you for sharing that." Naoto finally said. "I know it couldn't have been easy."

"Um, yeah. No problem," Kanji replied. He didn't know how to take this reaction. She wasn't shocked or amused by it and it didn't seem like she thought any less of him. After she didn't say anything for a while, he questioned it. "Is that it?"

"What? Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, because...because..."

"Because everyone else had something to say about it?" Kanji was surprised. Could she really read him so well? Naoto noticed the look on his face and smiled. "It's OK, Kanji. I wouldn't judge you based on your shadow. And I hope you wouldn't judge me based on mine."

"Of course not." Kanji said. "I guess you have a point...But why did you want to know so bad?"

"Because now I feel like I know you better." Naoto replied, blushing. "You knew the part of me that I hid from everybody. It gave you a leg up on our friendship. Now, I know the part of you that you hide from everyone."

"Wow. I never thought about it that way." Kanji said. The thought of Naoto wanting to know him better made him blush as well. "So...do you feel better now?"

"Yes, yes I do." Naoto said, smiling. Kanji smiled back. Lunchtime ended and they walked back to their respective classrooms together.

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	5. Rank 5

Kanji walked along the Samegawa flood plain one sunny afternoon, making his way to the pavilion. School was starting to grate on him; it had been a while since he went so many days in a row without skipping. But he soldiered on for his friends and even for himself. He just needed to take some time away from it all every once in a while. As he approached the pavilion, Kanji was surprised to find someone else already sitting there. It took him a moment to realize who it was, since they had their head down on the table. But one look at the blue hat that sat on the table next to her and Kanji knew it was Naoto.

Kanji sprinted the rest of the way to the pavilion. Naoto must have heard him coming because she looked up. She quickly wiped her eyes and put her hat back on when she saw that it was him. But it was no use trying to hide it, Kanji could easily tell that she had been crying.

"Naoto, what's wrong?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

"N-nothing! I'm fine…" Naoto replied, sniffling. Kanji made a face and shook his head.

"You are not fine. Now, tell me what's wrong." Kanji spoke to her sternly. He wasn't going to let her close herself off from him or from anyone else anymore. She had already faced that side of herself; there was no turning back now. Naoto must have felt the same way because she gave in immediately.

"I just came here to think over the case." Naoto explained. "But the more I thought about it, the less I figured out. And the less I figured out, the more useless I felt. What good am I to the group if I can't even do the one thing that I am suppose to be good at?"

"Naoto, you are anything but useless," Kanji consoled her. "You were the one who figured out that the killer was still out there, while the rest of us thought we had got him. The way you went about it was pretty stupid, but nobody's perfect." Naoto smiled at that remark.

"Yes, I suppose you're right about that. But I can't help but think that if the police dropped me so quickly, then all of you might –"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Kanji interrupted. He sounded angry, but Naoto knew better. She had heard him use this tone before; his intensity only meant he cared. "Just because those idiot cops didn't realize what they had doesn't mean we'll make the same mistake. We let you join the investigation team for a reason. And never forget that we are also your friends. We'd never do anything like that and even if anyone tried, they'd have to go through me!"

"You really do trust them, don't you?" Naoto asked, already starting to sound better. Kanji gave her his biggest smile.

"Of course I do!" he told her. "That group saved my life. And they like me for me. Sure, Yosuke-senpai gives me crap sometimes, but I know he's not trying to be mean, it's just his way. At the end of the day, I know I can trust any one of them to have my back when shit gets bad. And I would do the same."

"They like me…for me." Naoto repeated, mostly to herself. Kanji knew she was starting to realize just what that meant. "Thank you, Kanji. That is exactly what I needed to hear." They sat together in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the breeze.

"Does all of that apply to me, too?" Naoto asked. "Do you like me for me?"

"Do I l-like you?" Kanji suddenly felt incredibly warm. "W-well, I do l-like you, b-but I don't l-like you like…W-wait! No, I-I mean I…" Kanji fumbled over his words until they turned into inaudible mumbles. Naoto looked at him, clearly confused.

"Kanji? What are you going on about?"

"N-nothing, nothing! Never mind!" Kanji said quickly, trying to move on. "Anyway, are you hungry? We could go to Aiya's and get some food. My treat!" Naoto considered for a moment and Kanji hoped she was willing to just ignore the last few minutes.

"Yes, that sounds good." Naoto replied and the two headed off to the shopping district for some noodles.

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	6. Rank 6

Naoto walked through the halls of the practice building's first floor. She was nervous; she wasn't sure why she had agreed to Kanji's offer. Maybe she really did want to learn something new, maybe she just wanted to spend more time with him. She knew the reason behind the former. As an academic and a detective, she was curious by nature. The latter wasn't as clear. Every time she tried to reason it out, her head became fuzzy and her stomach fluttered. She eventually gave up trying to figure it out at all.

"Hey! Naoto!" Kanji called to her from down the hall. He was standing in front of the sewing room and waving. Naoto resisted the urge to pull her hat over her face and hide as everyone in the hall looked at her. The last thing she wanted to do was make to Kanji think she was embarrassed of him, even though the truth was she was just a little shy.

Naoto followed Kanji into the sewing room. The room was filled with long tables and more than half of them had sewing machines on them. As Naoto passed by the tables, she noticed that Kanji was one of only two males in the room. A few of the girls looked up when they walked in, but most were completely uninterested in them. Kanji led Naoto to an empty table in the back. As Naoto sat down, Kanji opened his school bag and pulled out two balls of blue yarn and a few knitting needles. He handed her two needles and a ball, and then he took a set for himself.

"OK, I've never taught anyone before, so just bare with me." Kanji told her. Naoto hadn't heard Kanji sound so excited about something outside of the TV world. "Let's start with the basics. Here's how you cast on..." Kanji started explaining, step-by-step, as well as showing her with his own needles. Naoto was a little slow to catch on. Her first few stitches ended up as big, tangled knots.

"Ah! Look, Kanji, I think I have it!" Naoto said happily after a few tries. Kanji looked over at her needle.

"Yeah, that looks good." Kanji told her. "Now, I have to show you how to make another row and then you just keep repeating that until you're done." Kanji showed her how to do it and then left her to try it on her own. After a few minutes of trying, Naoto was still having trouble moving from one row to the next. Kanji could see the frustration start to show on her face. He set his knitting down and stood up.

"Here, lemme give you a hand..." Kanji walked behind Naoto's chair and reached around to hold her hands so he could guide them. Naoto's face got incredibly warm almost immediately. The last time she was this close to him was when she was on his back as he was racing out of her shadow's secret lab and she was far too fatigued then to notice or care. But now, Naoto could feel Kanji's breath on her ear and the strength of his hands. Those unexplainable feelings returned; it was comparable to the excitement she feels when solving a tough case, but it was still different, somehow.

Kanji must have felt something too, because his explanation was quick and vague. He quickly let go of Naoto's hands and returned to his seat. His face was bright red and he couldn't look at her, opting to pay close attention to his knitting instead. Naoto, on the other hand, couldn't concentrate on her knitting at all anymore. They stayed like that in stunned silence until a familiar voice called them from the door.

"Kanji! Naoto! There you are!" They looked up to see Rise rushing towards them, as cheerful as ever. "Yu-senpai just texted me saying everyone's meeting up at Junes. Whatcha doing, anyway?"

"U-um, w-well..." Naoto tried to reply, holding up her needles to show her.

"Aw! Is Kanji teaching you how to knit? You two are just the cutest!" The two blushed harder than it felt like they ever had. But still, something about it made them smile. Naoto sneaked a quick look at Kanji with a smile and she was happy to see he was grinning back at her. They started to pack up their things to follow Rise out of the sewing room.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you." Kanji said, reopening his bag. He pulled out a book and handed it to Naoto. The title read 'A Beginner's Guide to Knitting'. "This is for you. So you can practice at home. You can hang on to the yarn and needles, too."

"Thank you, Kanji. I can't wait to make my first doll." Naoto told him happily.

"Well, you have to learn how to make a second row first...Ow!" Naoto punched Kanji in the arm at his remark. "I think you've been spending too much time with Chie-senpai..." The two left the room laughing and walked with Rise to Junes to meet with the rest of their friends.

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	7. Rank 7

Naoto walked through the crowded halls of Yasogami High as people darted left and right enjoying the annual culture festival. She wasn't really visiting any of the stalls; she was content just to see what the other classes were doing and people watch. After a few minutes, she did find a stand that was handing out drinks and stopped to get one.

"Hey, lemme get one of those, too." A voice said from behind her. Naoto recognized the voice before she even turned around and she felt the now familiar twinge of excitement in her stomach. She turned and, sure enough, there was Kanji standing behind her. He gave her a small smile as he reached over and grabbed his drink.

"Hey, Naoto!" he said, opening his drink and chugging some down. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much." she replied. "Just looking at all of the stalls and events."

"Yeah, a little lame, isn't it?" Kanji said.

"Not necessarily. Some of the ideas are...somewhat creative."

"Eh, the food stands are always the best." Kanji said happily. "But, I'll go with you if you want to check some things out."

"OK. I was just wandering around, but maybe we'll find something fun to do." The two started walking through the fest, stopping at anything that looked interesting. After a while, they found a classroom set up like a small restaurant, with desserts and tables. The room was a little busy, but they managed to get some food and a table in the back.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into any of our friends, yet." Kanji said, looking around the room.

"Yes, but this is kind of nice, isn't it?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Kanji replied, sounding mildly surprised.

"Actually, I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something." Naoto told him.

"OK, what is it?"

"What did you mean when you said that I had to do the beauty competition to 'make a man out of you'?" All of the color drained from Kanji's face.

"Oh crap, I forgot I said that!" he said, clearly upset with himself. He sighed and decided to just tell her. "Remember what I told you about my shadow?"

"Yes?" Naoto replied. Her eyes suddenly went wide with understanding. "Oh! Oh...Well, that is kind of embarrassing..."

"Yeah...Can we just pretend that I didn't say that?" Naoto agreed to his request, but she couldn't help but wonder, with all of the other girls in their group, why Kanji said that to her. She decided not to worry too much about it; she was having a nice time and she didn't want it to devolve into awkwardness.

"I-I am really proud of you for at least trying to get up there." Kanji told her. "I know that was probably really hard for you. And you even managed to win the damn thing!"

"T-thank you," Naoto replied, blushing at the memory of it. As embarrassing as the experience was, it was nice to hear that someone was proud of her for trying. "I wish I could have had some of your confidence on stage, though. It didn't even seem to bother you that you were in drag."

"Yeah, well, as soon as Yukiko-senpai said I was gonna be pretty, I didn't care about much else. I'm kind of a sucker for that sort of thing..." Kanji said, making a face as he realized how strange what he said sounded out loud. "Besides, I trusted Rise to do it right, but maybe I should have asked you from the start. I might've won if I had."

"Yeah, well, that was more Teddie than me." Naoto confessed. "You know how he is when he gets excited about something."

"Yeah, he's one whacked-out bear!" Kanji laughed. They finished their food and walked back out into the festival. Just outside the door was a large blue tent. The sign on it read "The Long-Nosed Fortune Teller's Manor".

"That looks like it could be fun," Naoto said.

"R-really?" Kanji replied. "I don't know..."

"Come on. Even if you don't believe in fortune telling, it could be good for a laugh."

"OK, if you say so –"

"Wait! You have to stay out here."

"What?! But you're the one that just talked me into going!"

"Yeah, well, it would be to embarrassing if you came with me. I'll decide if I want to tell you what she said when I'm done."

"Fine, fine! Geez..." Naoto was about to step into the tent when a familiar voice called them from down the hall.

"Kanji! Naoto! Wait!" They turned to see Yu-senpai rushing down the hall towards them.

"Oh, hey Yu-senpai – huh?" Kanji barely got his greeting out before Yu was next to them and started shoving them out of the tent and halfway down the hall.

"Hey! What was that for?" Naoto asked once he stopped.

"Don't go into that tent!" Yu pleaded. "Trust me, just don't!"

"OK, OK! We won't!" Kanji replied. Yu-senpai was a little odd sometimes, but that was part of his charm.

"So, what are you two up to?" another familiar voice asked. Just then they noticed that their other senpais, Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke, had been following Yu.

"N-nothing. Just walking around." Kanji replied.

"Just the two of you?" Yosuke-senpai asked, a little too interested for Kanji's liking. "Finally grew a pair, eh Kanji?"

"Hey! J-just shut up, will ya?" Kanji yelled at him, blushing. Naoto blushed as well, pulling her hat down in order to hide it, while the rest of the group laughed. Their laughter was infectious, though, because they quickly joined in. The six decided to group up and enjoy the rest of the festival together. While Naoto enjoyed the company of her friends, she was a little sad that her alone time with Kanji was over. But she still managed to discreetly stay next to him as they all walked along.

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	8. Rank 8

Kanji and Naoto sat together at the pavilion on the riverbank late one afternoon. Their original intention was to study, but that had long since been abandoned for random conversation. The sun began to set, yet they paid no attention to it. They were enjoying each other's company too much to worry about the fall chill they'd have to endure on their walk home.

"Can I ask you a question?" Naoto said once they hit a lull in their conversation.

"Of course," Kanji replied happily. "What's up?"

"Would it have mattered, if you never found out?" Naoto asked. "I mean, if it never came out that I was a girl or if I was a boy the entire time? Would we have still become friends?"

"Yeah, I think so." Kanji replied. "I can't think of any reason why it would have changed anything. Why do you ask?"

"I seem to remember you acting very strangely around me when you thought I was a boy."

"Oh. T-that was a bit of a strange situation." Kanji explained, more than a little embarrassed. "That was right before I got kidnapped, so I was having a lot of...issues around then. I thought all of my hobbies and interests were unmanly, plus I thought I hated girls, so when you came up and told me that you thought I was interesting, you can imagine how my brain twisted it. I had no idea that you thought I was about to be kidnapped. I was also a little attracted to you, even back then, so that's why I was acting so weird..."

"You're...attracted to me?" Naoto repeated. It took Kanji a few moments to realize what he had just said. He had accidentally admitted his attraction to Naoto, to her face. His first instinct was to make up some excuse to leave and get out of there, but he knew that wasn't the right answer. If he was going to be the man he wanted to be, he had to own up to the things he says and Naoto deserved to finally know the truth.

"Yes, I-I'm attracted to you, OK?" Kanji told her. The words came out a little loud and a little too forceful, but he hoped she would understand that he couldn't help it. "I've been attracted to you since just about the moment I met you. And I admit that I was happy to find out that you were actually a girl, but the more I thought about it, the more I think that it wouldn't have mattered. I was drawn to you from the start and we can talk about what might've happened all we want, but that's not what actually happened. What happened was that it came out that you're a chick and you decided to stand up and say 'Yes, I am a girl and a hard-boiled detective'. And I don't think you know just how much I admire you for that, because I know how hard it is for me to be myself in front of the world. It's that strength that I'm attracted to, a strength that you make me want to find in myself. And I also want to be the one who's there to help pick up the slack when you can't be strong. So, what I'm trying to say is that I like you, Naoto. I like you a lot and I was just too damn afraid to tell you because I guess I still have a lot of work to do..."

Kanji finished and he could feel his entire body trembling. He couldn't believe he finally told her. He had thought about doing it so many times, and this was never how he thought he would, but he was still happy that it was finally out there in the open. One look at Naoto's face, however, and he became a little afraid. She didn't look happy or upset by his confession, instead her face was almost entirely blank. Kanji didn't know how to take that until she finally stood up nearly a minute later.

"Naoto?"

"I-I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Home. I have some...things to take care of. Please, excuse me..." With that, Naoto ran out of the pavilion towards home.

"Naoto! Please! Wait!" Kanji called, starting to chase after her. But after a few steps, he thought better of it and stopped. He knew that he needed to give her some space after that bomb he dropped on her. He turned and sat back down on the bench, putting his face into his hands. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this wasn't it. Kanji felt a sharp pain in his chest as a wave of sadness fell over him. The sky became darker and darker, but he was in no hurry to return home.

"Damn it, how the hell did I screw this up? I am such a dumbass..."

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…


	9. Rank 9

Three days passed after Kanji told Naoto how he felt and he hadn't seen her since. They were in separate classrooms so he didn't get to see her at school and the investigation team hadn't met in that time either. Kanji wasn't sure how to approach her, so he opted to just head straight home by himself after school each day. And it was on his lonely walk home on the third day that he finally saw her again.

Naoto was walking a few feet ahead of him, also alone. Kanji couldn't see her face, so he couldn't tell how she was doing. His only clue was that she seemed to be walking more slowly than usual. This caused Kanji to start to worry about her and from this worry came his decision that he needed to talk to her. He was OK being sad himself, but Naoto would never be sad again if he had anything to say about it. So he knew he had to fix this.

"Naoto! Hey Naoto! Wait!" Kanji called, running to catch up with her. Naoto neither stopped nor turned to look at him, she just continued pressing forward. Even when Kanji caught up and began walking backwards to face her, Naoto didn't stop and she kept her gaze low so the brim of her hat hid most of her face.

"Damn it, Naoto! Stop! I need to talk to you! I don't know what I did that was so bad that you won't even talk to me! I thought a confession of feelings was supposed to be a good thing! What's wrong with someone telling you that they care about you? Naoto, would you just –"

"I have feelings for you, too!" Naoto said loudly, stopping immediately.

"What?!" Kanji replied, nearly tripping over his own feet as he tried to stop. Naoto finally looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I have feelings for you, too." Naoto repeated.

"So you ran away from me? We're not suppose to be running away from things anymore, remember?"

"I ran because I was scared. I have never felt this way about anyone before. I have been left behind by people I've cared about in the past and I don't think I could bear being left behind by you, too..."

"Naoto, I ain't going nowhere. Would I have told you all of those things if I planned on leaving? I've never cared about someone this much before, either, so I'm not gonna let you disappear on me so easily." Kanji gave her a soft smile.

"Oh, Kanji. I just don't know what to do..."

"Don't you remember how this friendship started?" Kanji asked, holding his hand out to her. "We'll figure it out together" That moment, as Naoto looked at his outstretched hand, felt like it lasted forever. Kanji stood there facing his his biggest fear head on. But this wasn't just about being rejected, it was about being rejected by someone he truly cared about. In spite of that, he knew that whatever happened, he'd be OK. He would handle the sadness and move on somehow. So Kanji left his hand out for that moment, even though he was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life.

Suddenly, Naoto reached out her hand and took his with a small squeeze, and all of Kanji's fears melted away. He began to wonder what he was so afraid of in the first place. He wanted to laugh, cry, and run away all at the same time.

"Um, Kanji?" Naoto said after a minute. Kanji realized he was standing there, holding Naoto's hand, and starring off into space.

"Oh! Right! Sorry..." Kanji said, embarrassed. Naoto laughed as he let go of her hand and they started walking together towards the shopping district.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Naoto asked.

"I don't know." Kanji replied. "Maybe we just keep doing what we've been doing, like hanging out and stuff, but without getting all awkward about it."

"I think we can do that." Naoto said with a smile. She held out her hand for Kanji to take. He smiled as well and took it. It was warm against the chilly fall air. "You do know that we are going to have to tell everyone else, right?"

"Yeah, I know...But can't we wait a little while?"

"They are going to find out at some point."

"I think we should pretend that that's not true for as long as we possibly can..."

Kanji and Naoto feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…

There's no turning back...

Kanji and Naoto's relationship has become intimate.


	10. Rank 10

Kanji and Naoto stood in Kanji's room late one afternoon. Naoto had somehow pushed her way in, despite Kanji's objections. His room was messy, like the room of a boy his age should be, but instead of mounds of laundry and games, there were piles of crafting supplies scattered about. The only piece of clothing on the floor was his Tatsumi Textiles uniform for when he needed to watch the shop. A few cute figurines sat atop his dresser, along with some action figures, and he had a "Dachiko Story" movie poster on one wall.

Kanji did his best to look upset about her showing up and barging in. She didn't call to say she was coming and he was in the middle of a project that he didn't get the chance to clean up. But, try as he might, he couldn't be too mad about it. He was happy to see her, of course; he would spend every moment with her if he could. Kanji was just hoping to impress her and that was hard to do with a messy room.

"Were you working on more dolls for the shop?" Naoto asked, eying the mess.

"Yeah, and some personal projects." Kanji replied. He wished she wouldn't pay so much attention to it. Kanji decided to start straightening up a little while Naoto looked around. She moved from his messy floor to the figures on his dresser and finally she went to sit down his bed. But she stopped half way as something on his desk caught her eye. Kanji watched her walk over to the one thing he probably should have cleaned up first.

"Kanji? What is this?" Naoto asked, picking up one of his knitted dolls from the desk. The doll was almost an exact replica of her persona, Sukuna-Hikona.

"That's your persona." Kanji replied, a little sad that she found it. "I thought about making one for everybody, so I did yours first. I just finished it today, I wanted to give it to you as a present..."

"Wow." Naoto said, admiring the doll. "This is incredibly well made, even by your standards. Did you really do all of this from memory?"

"Yeah, but I do see all of our personas all of the time, so it wasn't too hard." Kanji said, not hiding the pride in his voice at all. "Sukuna-Hikona was especially easy because...well..."

"Let me guess: you think he's cute?" Naoto asked with an impish grin. Kanji didn't say a word, he just nodded and blushed. Naoto laughed at his embarrassment.

"Anyway, y-you can have it now, since you've already seen it. But don't let the others see it until I'm done with theirs. I want it to be a surprise."

"OK, but that's going to be very hard." Naoto told him. "He is far too cute to be hidden away." That comment made Kanji happier than any other complement she could have given him. Naoto opened her bag to put the doll in. "Oh! That reminds me, I have something for you as well." She pulled out something black and knitted from her bag. It sat in a pile in her hands, so Kanji couldn't tell what it was. What he could see was that there were needles still attached to one end.

"Thanks, but...um, what is it?" Kanji asked.

"It's suppose to be a scarf." Naoto said, sounding disappointed. "But I didn't know how much yarn I would need, so I just bought the biggest ball they had. And then I didn't know how to stop because you never taught me and I couldn't figure it out on my own. So I just kept going until I ran out of yarn." Naoto looked incredibly embarrassed, but Kanji couldn't help but smile at her. Seeing Naoto flustered was a rare sight and Kanji thought the faces she made were absolutely adorable.

"Well, I think it's pretty damn awesome! Thank you." Kanji said happily. "Here, let me show you how to finish it off..." They sat on Kanji's bed and he showed her how to finish the scarf. He immediately noticed how different being so close to her felt now than it did a few weeks ago. Instead of being rattled and nervous, he was comfortable and happy. He wanted to lean so his shoulder touched hers and he was happy that Naoto didn't pull away when he tried it.

Once the end was finished, Kanji tried it on. Since he was pretty sure he knew what size skein she used, he estimated that the scarf was about ten feet long. Kanji was decently tall, the tallest in their group, but he still had to wrap the scarf around his neck at least four times before it was off the ground. The end result was Kanji looking like he was being strangled by a long, black, eyeless snake. But he still wore it like it was the height of fashion.

"See? It's perfect!" he announced, showing it off. Naoto laughed at him and he faked confusion for a moment before joining in. They spent the rest of the afternoon together, looking at other dolls Kanji was making and talking about some of Naoto's favorite cases, until Naoto announced that she had to leave before her grandfather started to worry.

"Wait up! It's dark out, I'll walk you home." Kanji told her, putting on his coat.

"You don't have to," Naoto said. "I think I can manage on my own."

"Nope! No way!" Kanji protested. "You shouldn't be out there on your own with a killer on the loose."

"What about you?"

"This is me you're talking about, remember?" Kanji said. "There ain't many people in this town that will mess with Kanji Tatsumi! Besides, if I did go missing, I know that my hard-boiled detective will come and find me." Naoto blushed at being called "his", but she didn't correct him. Kanji told his mother where he was going and the two headed out to Naoto's home. It was an especially cold night and Kanji could see Naoto trying to hide her shivers. He unwound part of his scarf, put his arm over her shoulder, and gently pulled her closer to him. Then, he wrapped the scarf around her neck, leaving some slack between them so they could walk. Kanji wasn't sure where this new found courage came from. Maybe it was from the fact that he wasn't thinking about it as much anymore. He wanted to be close to her, to keep her warm, and he acted accordingly. He was pleasantly surprised when Naoto didn't object to it at all. In fact, she gingerly held on to his arm as they walked.

"Do you remember what you asked me a while ago? About if I thought the same way about you as my shadow did?" Naoto asked and Kanji nodded. "Well, I think I have sufficient enough information to give you an accurate answer now. And that answer is...no. I believe my shadow's, and somewhat my, first impression of you was wrong. First, I don't think of you as 'muscle-bound', mostly because 'muscle-bound' and 'knitter' generally don't fit in the same sentence. You are physically strong, yes, but you are so much more than the muscle of the group. That leads me to my next point; you are not a buffoon. Academics may not be your strong suit, but I believe that you are far smarter than even you realize. And, finally, I do think that you are a bit of a hot-head – "

"Hey!"

"Let me finish!" Naoto told him with a small smile. "You are a hot-head, but in a good way. When you care about something, you really care about it and that emotion comes out loud and strong. You have passion, Kanji. Passion for our friends and passion for your hobbies. I hear it in your voice almost every time you speak. So, if you hope to gain strength from me, then I hope to gain passion from you. I don't loathe you for it at all. Actually, I think that I might...um..." Naoto had been speaking very professionally up until then, like she was discussing the facts of a case. But now, her voice faded as she struggled with the her words. When she was finally able to get them out, they came soft and low and Kanji almost missed them. "I-I think that I might actually...love you for it..."

Kanji's stomach jumped up into his throat and then it dropped back down to his knees.

"Really!?" He had to ask, he hardly believed his ears.

"Yes, really!" Naoto replied, sounding a little confused by the question. Kanji didn't know what to do with this information. While he had always hoped that Naoto liked him and wanted to spend time with him, he never imagined that she would fall in love with him. He also never really considered how he truly felt about her, beyond just liking her a lot. Did he really just like her or was it something more? As Kanji was trying to sort everything out, they turned the corner and were suddenly at Naoto's house. Kanji helped Naoto unwind herself from his scarf and then they both stood there awkwardly at the her door.

"So...um..." Kanji said. This was the first time he'd walked her home since they'd become a couple and he wasn't sure what he was suppose to do. Should he give her a handshake? A hug? A...kiss? No, Kanji was sure he wasn't quite ready for that. While he was busy thinking about it, Naoto surprised him by standing up on her tip-toes and kissing him on the cheek. Kanji blushed as he felt that spot on his cheek tingle and his stomach jumped with excitement.

"T-thank you for walking me home." Naoto said quickly. She started rushing towards the door, whatever courage she had mustered for the kiss had already passed. "I-I'll see you later."

"Naoto, wait!" Kanji called just as she reached the door. Suddenly, all of the answers he had been searching for the last few minutes came to him. He felt stupid for taking so long, since he knew it had been there the entire time. "Naoto, I-I...I love you, too!" Kanji said the words far too loud, as usual, and it echoed through the empty street. Inaba was so small, he was sure that all of their friends somehow heard it. But he didn't care anymore; he wanted to shout it again, but he resisted. For a second Naoto stood on her front steps, eyes wide with surprise. But that surprise was quickly replaced with a large smile. Without saying a word, there was nothing more to be said, Naoto opened the door and went into her house. Kanji stood there for a moment more, looking at the spot where she had been standing, and smiled. He turned towards home, happier than he could remember being in his entire life.

Kanji and Naoto have forged a bond that cannot be broken!


End file.
